Gingerbread Cheesecake with Baileys Pecan Caramel

Ingredients

Base:

200g ginger biscuits

¼ C roughly chopped pecans

75g Westgold Unsalted Butter, melted

Filling:

750g cream cheese, room temperature

250g sour cream

¾ C caster sugar

4 eggs

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp flour

3 tsp ground ginger 

3 Tbsp golden syrup

Bailey’s caramel sauce:

⅔ C cream

¾ C brown sugar

50g Westgold Unsalted Butter

Pinch salt

¼ C baileys

100g toasted pecans, chopped

Italian meringue:

90g egg whites

50ml water      

175g caster sugar 

1 tsp lemon juice

Method

Base:

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line the bottom and sides of a 20cm loose-bottom tin with baking paper. Blend the biscuits into fine crumbs. Add pecans and melted butter, and pulse to combine.

Spread the mixture into the tin base, smooth it out, and bake for 10 minutes.

Filling:

Reduce the oven temperature to 140°C. In a food processor, blend all filling ingredients until smooth.

Pour onto the cooked base and bake for 50-70 minutes until set. Set aside to cool. Refrigerate for 5 hours.

Bailey’s caramel sauce:

Simmer the first 4 ingredients together for 5 minutes until thickened.

Take off the heat and stir in the Baileys. Leave the sauce at room temperature until ready to use.

Italian meringue:

Put sugar, lemon juice, and water into a saucepan over medium heat. Place a thermometer into the pan. Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer, increasing the speed as the thermometer gets closer to 120°C (soft peaks).

When the sugar syrup reaches 120°C, take off the heat, turn the beater to full, and slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl. Whisk on high until it reaches room temperature.

To finish the cheesecake: Remove the cheesecake from the fridge and peel away the paper.  Place on a serving plate.  Pour over the Bailey’s caramel sauce and sprinkle over chopped pecans. 

Spoon on the Italian meringue and use a blow torch to brown the meringue. 

Serve.